It's All a Matter of LIfe and Death (Pent 9B)

The not so obvious take away from the Gospel reading this morning is:

Its all a matter of life and death.

Liberation theologian, Cláudio Carvalhaes, writes: Our task is both to be attentive to all that is crying for our attention and demanding our care. Stricken, poor human beings from all places. The earth everywhere. As people of God, we are called to discern the spirit of our times and see where the Spirit of God lives and what the Spirit is asking us to do -- the work of God.

In the same way, Jesus is telling us that we have to pause and pay attention to our hearts, to our movements and to how we are living our lives. Without a strong spiritual life, oriented by daily spiritual practices of prayer and meditation, of pause and loneliness, we cannot do all the work we need to do and we cannot be all that we are called to be. A heart without action is ineffective, and an action without a heart is empty. Jesus is calling us to have a compassionate heart and to do strong actions of justice. Both things! Together!

I appreciate his phrase: A heart without action is ineffective, and an action without a heart is empty. He is talking about a dead life. How many of us, are there? Going through the motions, holding on, mindlessly moving from one event or item in our schedule to the next, or simply biding time? Technically living life, but, without purpose, joy, contentment, passion, or meaning?

The Gospel speaks to living life that is life and not as, like sheep without a shepherd, dead.

The passage begins with the apostles gathering around Jesus, to tell him all that they had done and taught. Mark tells us earlier in the chapter, that Jesus, shortly after calling the twelve, began to send them out two by two, with the authority over unclean spirits. And it happened; they were excited to tell Jesus and each other what they had been about. They had not simply been sitting at Jesus’ feet, listening to him teach, watching him perform miracles; they were out doing.  With a heart full of the promises of God, with authority over unclean spirits, and words of Jesus ringing in their ears, they went out alive to share this Good News with others. They returned even more full of life.

And because their hearts were so full, there was need for pause; a need to pay attention to their heart; for Jesus knew that such fullness can lead to death if not grounded in prayerful reflection, holy conversation, and rest.

We understand. We have had a phone calls lasting less than a minute that drain us of our focus for the next hour; or a 15 min focused task that has us feel like taking a nap; we have helped another, with it zapping our energy for the rest of the day.  It is those times when serving our neighbour turns from being an action lived from the heart, and turns to a task of drudgery, of obligation, ‘because we have to.’

The apostles went away in the boat to a deserted place. People saw them going and coming, so they ran around to meet them. The passage has a lot of coming and a lot of going, by the apostles, and by the people.

Jesus and the apostles were not alone when on land, because when they reached the deserted place it was no longer deserted.

The not so obvious take away, is that the matter of giving life to the spirit, and resting the heart, didn’t happen in the deserted place.  Life was given – rest, prayerful reflection, holy conversation – while on their way TO the deserted place.  In other words, while on the boat; stuck together, unable to be about other business, unable to leave, unable to be out of each other’s space; captive.

The scenario reminds me of Army personnel who speak of training themselves with the ability to drop into sleep almost instantly, getting it while they can; to wake on command and be ready to do whatever taskis asked of them.

The time in the boat is the break – it is not stepping away from life, the crowds “yes,” but, not life.  It is not retreat, but, rather, time found amidst the pressures of life.  It is a moment of: “Now for something completely different,” as a repose; change the activity, change the brain, change one’s attitude--- and not alone, but, with a community of others who are living the same experience.

The other not so obvious take away, referring to life and death matters, relates to the fringe of Jesus’ garment. Mark says; that they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged Jesus that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; all who touched it were healed.  There is more going on here than people touching the edge, or the hem, of Jesus’ clothing. This phrase is for those who are hearing the story.  The phrase is pointing a finger at the people of God and asking them: are you living life, or death? Let me explain.

 The fringe of Jesus’ garment refers to knotted cords that Jewish men wore (and still wear) on the corners of their underclothing, and on the edges of their prayer shawls. This was an ancient custom, ascribed to the people in the Law of Moses, recorded in the Book of Deuteronomy. Jesus would have worn fringes, as would the twelve apostles, as would all Jewish men of the time.

A Jewish scholar describes the fringe, the tsitsit, as society’s equalizer.  Because all men (king, scholar, farmer) were to wear them; all Israel is elevated, enjoined to become holy - a nation of priests.  This uniform is the epitome of the democratic thrust within Judaism.  The purpose of the tzitzit is the exultation of God and God’s commandments, not the exultation of oneself and one’s observance.  Upon death, a fringe is cut off a Jewish man’s tallit -prayer shawl, which symbolizes, in earthly death, the end of his obligation to follow the commandments.

Tradition, says that each fringe has 39 windings, which corresponds to the numerical value of the Hebrew phrase (heard first in Deuteronomy), The Lord is One. The fringe serves as a reminder to Jewish people to keep the Torah and to follow all of God’s commandments.  Following the Torah – loving God and loving one’s neighbour- is a heart matter, a life and death matter. One lives life with purpose, meaning, joy, contentment, and passion, because they are living the covenant God so graciously keeps and lives with each of them. The covenant is the heart of living life.

However, as with all things, there were those who loved to be seen by others, and purposefully lengthened their fringes, so as to be seen as important!– an example is some of the Pharisees of Jesus’ time.  Jesus, in a different Gospel passage, took them to task for showing off their status, spiritual and otherwise. Jesus is saying that one can have kosher fringes without having a kosher heart. The Gospel of Mark, is expressing the power that comes through one who lives the Law – loving God and loving neighbour- Jesus does! and God’s power is at work through him; through the very symbol that speaks to living from the heart of the covenant.

For a thousand years, Lutheran churches in Scandinavian countries- especially those in port cities, have hung ships in their sanctuaries.  The ship is a symbol of church. We are in the ship – Jesus and the apostles in the boat- the waves and the sea are the chaos in the world around us. The ship may be whipped by wind, swept by waves, or floating on a calm sea. The ship remains together: seeking God and seeking other shores with whom to share the Good News. St. Gregory the Great wrote that the Church is a ship in which God takes us safely through life from one shore, birth, to the other, death.

Imagine this place -church- as our boat, our ship.  This is the place where we come to gather with Jesus and the other apostles. While in the boat, we are stuck together, unable to be about other business, unable to leave, and unable to be out of each other’s space; captive.

When we come in, we leave the crowds, … we excitedly share with each other what we have been up to; what we have taught.   It is a place of prayerful reflection, holy conversation, and rest. When we leave, we great the crowds with Jesus-esque compassion, with hearts that love God and love neighbour.  We don’t hide behind our faith practice, believing it is enough for the week.  We don’t go out being good out of obligation. We are sent out with filled hearts, so that we live life, being neighbour because that is who we are, called and given authority over unclean spirits.

Our task is both to be attentive to all that is crying for our attention and demanding our care. Stricken, poor human beings from all places. The earth everywhere. As people of God, we are called to discern the spirit of our times and see where the Spirit of God lives and what the Spirit is asking us to do -- the work of God.

In the same way, Jesus is telling us that we have to pause and pay attention to our hearts, to our movements and to how we are living our lives. Without a strong spiritual life, oriented by daily spiritual practices of prayer and meditation, of pause and loneliness, we cannot do all the work we need to do and we cannot be all that we are called to be. A heart without action is ineffective, and an action without a heart is empty. Jesus is calling us to have a compassionate heart and to do strong actions of justice. Both things! Together!

Everything we do is a matter of life and death.  Go live life, that is truly life.